#hcsmca: The Not so Hidden Agenda

By Pat Rich (@pat_health)

“Let’s make sure something tangible comes out of this.”

This has been the mantra for the organizers of the upcoming #hcsmca Symposium since the very start of the planning process.

Throughout its long and illustrious (for social media) history, the #hcsmca community has always been a cosmopolitan and welcoming place for anyone interested in health care issues and social media to participate and exchange ideas, learn and debate. Through the weekly tweetchats (252) and occasional meetups (9) a huge number of topics, both topical and more philosophical have been brought into the light and talked about to the benefit of all.

But there has always been an underlying sense – voiced most recently during the strategic renewal process of #hcsmca – that more could and should be done to ensure all of this community-building leads to initiatives that make a difference in how people provide and experience health care in Canada.

So when work began on planning next week’s #hcsmca Symposium in Vancouver one of the core concepts was that the symposium should not just be a IRL version of a well-attended tweetchat but also a fulcrum for using the crowd-sourced power of the #hcsmca community to produce lasting legacies.

This is why you have seen much effort over the last several weeks to generate ideas that will be discussed in an unconference format during the symposium and produce tangible products, tactics and messaging that will actually be used when the meeting is over.

In the true #hcsmca community spirit, the scope of the general concepts to be discussed was set in an earlier tweetchat which is why you see digital health and patient/provider engagement being represented so prominently in the challenges that will be tackled at the meeting.

And while for logistical reasons those who are bringing the challenges forward must be present at the symposium, we are ensuring the #hcsmca community as a whole has an opportunity to weigh in on them first (Vote for your favorite #hcsmca Symposium Challenges).

#Hcsmca will be transformed following the Vancouver symposium as volunteer Founder Colleen Young moves on to delegate the majority of her time to other activities.

To quote one of my favourite singers when it comes to this particular phase of the history of #hcsmca –

And I want to know
The same thing
Everyone wants to know
How’s it going to end?    ~Tom Waits

As organizers of the meeting, we can assure this particular symposium will end, not just with the sense of a day well spent with colleagues and new friends, but with a determined approach to provide real solutions to real problems.

Robyn Sussel (@robynsussel) will moderate this week’s #hcsmca on Wednesday, February 17 at 1pm ET (time zone converter) to explore these important questions.

Q’s regarding upcoming symposium in Vancouver

• T1. What do you need to know about an unconference format in order to actively participate either in person or remotely?
• T2. If you can’t be at the Symposium, how would you like to virtually interact with those in Vancouver before, during and after?
• T3. Do you agree that conferences MUST have a definable outcome to be deemed a success?

Q’s about the future of #hcsmca and our community

• T4. Do all online communities naturally come to an end? Should they?
• T5. Without a weekly chat, how can the #hcsmca community across Canada stay connected?
• T6. Is there a group in Canada emerging as the obvious home of health care and social media learning (e.g. Mayo Clinic in US)

Have you registered for the symposium? Only a few seats left.